Valve operating mechanism



Oct. 3, 1933.

E, 5. RUSSELL VALVE OPERATING 'llaclumlsl Filed April 16, 1950 2 sheets-shes; 1

3- Pill M MY 5 E. 's. lUSSELL VALVE. OPERATING ugcmm Oct. 3, 1933.

Filed April 16,1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTO RNEYs Patented 1933 I UNITED STATES 1,928,870 val-vs omsrmo MECHANISM Ernest Stuart Russell, London, England, ands-nor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Britain January 31, 1928 Application April 10, mo, Serial No. 444,848, and

I in Great '1 Claims. (on. 68-18) Application for Letters Patent filed in Great Britain on the 31st day of January, 1928.

My invention relates to valve operating mechanism suitable for use, for example, in actuating the drain valves of washing machines or like devices.

In washing machines, it is ordinary practice to change the washing liquid a number of times in washing a batch of goods, the liquid being drained from the washing machine by a valve located at the bottom thereof. Difficulty has been experienced in providing a means for automatically opening such drain valve after each one of a series of washing operations of a predetermined length of time due .to the fact that in most present machines the drain valve is so arranged as to open inwardly towards the center of the liquid container and against the pressure of the clothes and washing liquid therein whereby considerable force is required to move the valve to open position. According to my invention, movement of a part of the washing machine, in this instance the rotating shaft carrying the clothes receiving cylinder, .is utilized to automatically actuate valve opening mechanism and the valve to eflect opening of the valve at the proper time. A suitable means is provided for regulating the time at which the drain valve is automatically opened as well as a locking means for maintaining the valve in open position, this locking means being operator-released for valve closure at any desired time after opening of the valve.

Various objects and advantageous features of 35 my invention may be seen in the following description and one embodiment thereof may be seen in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation showing the valve actuating mechanism as applied to a washing,

the apparatus embodies a stationary case or drum 1 having supporting legs 2'. The caseor drum 1 is adapted to hold liquid and contains a rotatable cage 2 rigidly mounted on a shaft 3. A gear wheel 4 is also rigidly mounted on the shaft 3 and is adapted to mesh with a gear 5 that is so driven in any convenient manner, for instance, by

an electric motor, whereby the cage may be rotated.

In accordance with my invention, means are provided for automatically opening a drain valve 29 at predetermined intervals through the power means for rotating the goods containing cage 22 as will be hereinafter apparent. Secured to the cage supporting shaft 3 is an eccentric 6 having a strap '1 that is operably connected to a pawl 8 and a ratchet gear 9 of a suitable timing mechanism 10 that may be of any suitable type through the medium of a chain 11. The timing mechanism 10 is provided with a setting knob 12, as is usual in such devices. Such eccentric strap '7 has 76 a rod 13 attached thereto and the free end of the rod 13 is adapted to slide through .a movable sleeve member 14 when being reciprocated by operation of the eccentric. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a collar 15 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 13 intermediate the ends thereof.

The rod 13 is connectible to the sleeve 14 to actuate the sleeve and associated mechanism for opening the valve 29 through a bell crank lever 16 having one arm thereof bifurcated to engage the shaft 13 and pivotally mounted on the sleeve member 14 (see Fig. 1) as at 17, the pivot point 17 being so'located with relation to the bell crank lever arms that such lever will normally tend to swing to the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. However, means may be provided' for exerting force to move the bell crank lever to such dotted line position. The other arm of the bell crank lever is connected by means of a strap or chain 18 to a tripping mechanism that forms a part of the timing mechanism 10 for moving the bell crank lever 16 to the full line position shown in Fig. 1. Such tripping mechanism is, of course, adapted to be operated by movement of the timingmechanism. Thus, when the strap or chain 18 is raised by the tripping mechanism, the bifurcated arm of the bell crank lever 16 will be moved to the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to engage the collar 15 on the shaft 13 whereby reciprocation of the shaft will cause reciprocation of the sleeve member 14.

To connect the rod 13 and the sleeve 14 with the valve 29 whereby their reciprocation will cause opening of the valve, a lever 19 is rigidly connected at one end to a rotatable shaft 20 and pivotally connected at its opposing end to an arm or extension 21 that forms a part of the sleeve member 14 in such manner that movement of the sleeve 14 downwardly will cause-the shaft 20 to be rocked clockwise as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Also rigidly mounted on the shaft 20 is a gear sector 22 that is in mesh with a pinion gear 23 which is mounted on a shaft 22. The shaft 22' carries the drain valve 29-and rotation of the gear sector 22 in a clockwise direction by rotation of the shaft 20 through the downward movement of the sleeve 14 will cause counter-clockwise rotation of the pinion gear 23 and counter-clockwise or upward movement of the valve 29, as shown in Fig. 1, to move the valve 29 to open position against the resistance of any goods or washing liquid in the washing machine.

A locking means is provided for locking the lever arm'19 in position after it has been moved downwardly as shown in Fig. 2 to rotate the valve carrying shaft 22 counter-clockwise to move the valve 29 to open position. This locking means consists of a foot treadle 24 that is pivotally mounted on a shaft 27 extending outwardly from a bracket 24, the foot treadle having a locking nose 30 and being adapted to be moved clockwise about the shaft 2'7 by a spring 25 which has one end thereof connected to an upstanding portion of the foot treadle and its opposite end connected to an upright member 25' on the frame. The lever arm 19 is provided with 2. lug 26 that, when the lever arm is in the up position shown in Fig. l, is adapted to ride in an arcuate under surface 27 on the foot treadle locking means 24. In the up position of the lever arm 19 as shown in Fig. 1, the lug 26 rides in the arcuate under surface 27 and maintains the spring 25 under tension due to the fact that the shafts 20 and 27' are spaced from each other in the same horizontal plane and so arranged that the path of movement of the in its downward position wherein the shaft 20 and gear sector 22 have been moved clockwise to cause counter-clockwise movement of the gear sector 23 and counter-clockwise and opening movement of the valve 29 whereby the valve is held in open position. The valve may be held in open position until the foot treadle 24 is depressed v to raise the nose 30 out from the lock 26 whereby the weight of the valve'29 or the weight of the valve plus pressure thereon will cause a reversal of movement of the parts with rotation of the shaft 20 counter-clockwise and raising of the lever arm 19 whereby the lug 26 will ride in the arcuate under surface 2'7 of the foot treadle when pressure on the treadle is released and the foot .treadle is moved clockwise by the spring 25.

In the operation of this device, assuming that the timing mechanism 10 has been properly addusted to actuate the tripping mechanism at the propertime and the cage 2 is rotating, the rod 13 is reciprocated in the sleeve member 14 by reason of its eccentric connection with the shaft 3. The bell crank lever 16 will be in a position shown by the dotted lines or in inoperative position. Each revolution of the cage 2 causes downward movement of the strap or chain 11 and actuation of the ratchet gear 9 by the pawl 8, the downward movement of the strap or chain bring caused by the operation of the eccentric 6. Slack in the strap or chain 11 that is caused by operation of the eccentric and upward movement of .the strap or chain is absorbed by a spring 28 which is provided for that purpose.

Means are preferably provided in the timing mechanism 10 for moving the strap or chain 18 upwardly at the end of a pre-determined period of step by step actuation of the timing mechanism by the apparatus hereinbefore described and upward movement of the strap or chain 18 will cause the bell crank lever 16 to be moved about its pivot to the full line position shown, wherein the bifurcated end of one arm thereof engages the shaft 13 immediately below the collar 15 and on thenext downward stroke of the shaft 13 the collar 15 will engage the bell crank lever and move the sleeve member 14 and associated parts downward.

Downward movement of the sleeve member 14 will result in movement of the shaft 20 clockwise through the medium of the arm or extension 21 and the lever 19 hereinbefore described. Such rocking movement will, in turn, cause the pinion 23 to be rotated counter-clockwise by the gear sector 22 which is rigidly attached to the shaft 20 and rocked therewith. Such valve is maintained in its open position by the lug 26 106 bearing against the locking nose 30 of the treadle 24, the lug 26 engaging the nose as previously described when the lever is in such position that the drain valve will be open.

When it is desired to close'a valve, the timing 11O mechanism is re-set in the usual manner, and the strap or chain 18 allowed to move downwardly whereby the bell crank lever 16 will assume its dotted line position either under the influence of its own weight or some outside force. Then, the foot treadle 24 is moved downwardly against the resistance of the spring 25 whereupon the lug 26 will be moved out of engagement with the locking nose 30 of the treadle and the drain valve may close under its own weight, or by reason of the pressure of the liquid within the machine which exerts force on the upper face ofthe valve. Such closing movement of the valve will rotate the pinion 23 and shaft 19 counter-clockwise and move the associated parts in a reverse direction hereinbefore described, whereby the sleeve member 14 is moved upwardly to its original position. The cycle of movement hereinbefore described, will then be repeated, the opening of the valve being governed by the timing mechanism as will be understood.

What I claim is:

1. A'washing machine comprising, a casing, a movable work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum. & drain valve in the casing. an actuating means for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuation thereof, means for moving said shaft including a sleeve member having connection therewith, a rod member reciprocable through said sleeve member and actuated by said drum operating means, and means for positively coupling the rod and sleeve members for actuation of the latter when the rod is moved in one direction.

2. A washing machine comprising, a casing, a movable work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum, a drain valve in the casing, an actuating means for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuation thereof, means for moving said shaft including a sleeve member having connection therewith, a rod member reciprocable through said sleeve. member and actuated by said drum operating means, and time controlled means for positively coupling the rod and sleeve members for actuation of the latter when the rod is moved in one direction.

3. A washing machine comprising, a casing, a movable'work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum, a drain valve in the casing, an actuating means for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuation thereof, means for moving said shaft including a sleeve member having connection therewith, a rod member reciprocable through said sleeve member and actuated by said drum operating means, means for positively coupling the rod and sleeve members for actuation of the latter when the rod is moved in one direction, and means for locking said sleeve member in valve operated position.

4; A washing machine comprising, a casing, a movable work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum, a drain valve in the casing, an actuating means for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuation thereof, means for moving said shaft including a sleeve member having connection therewith, a rod member reciprocable through said sleeve member and actuated by said drum operating means, means for positively coupling the rod and sleeve members for actuation of the latter when the rod is moved in one direction, means for locking said sleeve member in valve operated podtion, and operatoroperated means for releasing said locking means whereby said valve may move or be moved to closed position.

5. A washing machine comprising, a casing, a

movable work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum, a drain valve in the casing, an actuating means for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuation thereof, means for moving said shaft including a sleeve member having connection therewith, a rod member recipro cable through said sleeve member and actuated by said drum operating means,- an eccentric connection between said rod and said drum operating means to produce such rod reciprocation, and means for positively coupling the rod and sleeve is moved in one direction.

. 6. A washing machine comprising, a casing, a movable work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum, a drain valve in the casing, an actuating mean for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuating the valve, means members for actuation of the latter when the rodshoulder and the other of said members carrying a movable device adapted to be moved into engagement with said abutment shoulder for the purpose of connecting said members for positive actuation of the sleeve member when the latter moves in one direction.

'7. A washing machine comprisingn. casing, a movable work containing drum therein, operating means for moving said drum, a drain valve in the casing, an actuating means for said valve including a movable shaft having connection with said valve for actuating the valve, means for moving said shaft including a sleeve member having connection therewith, a rod member reciprocable through said sleeve member and actuated by said drum operating means, one of said members being provided with an abutment shoulder and the other of said members carrying a movable device adapted to be moved intov engag'ement with said abutment shoulder forthe purpose of connecting said members for positive actuation of the sleeve member when the latter moves in one direction, and time control meansnus 

